Tens of thousands of people were forced to flee their homes as a deadly brush fire in the Pacific Palisades grew to more than 20,000 acres this week and destroyed thousands of structures.

"It’s hard to see, because there’s so much pain and suffering,” said one local, who dropped off toys at the Westwood Recreation Center in West Los Angeles.

State authorities previously listed the Palisades as one of the five Southern California areas with the highest concentration of potential wildfire risks. The community also is among the areas most impacted by an unavailability of insurance coverage.